Over the decades, The Legend of Zelda series has repeatedly changed its visual direction. When creating the Ocarina of Time remake, the team looked for an art style that would best convey the specifics of this particular game. Producer Eiji Aonuma shared this in an interview.
According to him, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are connected by a shared story, which is why they use a similar aesthetic. Ocarina of Time does not have such a narrative connection to them, allowing the developers to choose a completely different art style. Additionally, an unexpected visual approach helps surprise players even more.
I think one of the interesting things about Zelda is that the graphic style often changes significantly from one game to the next. For us, the main thing is finding the most suitable option: figuring out what works well with the game and aligns with our goals. Of course, we don’t change the style just for the sake of change. If games are connected to each other, they might share common traits.
The producer noted that the team itself went from being surprised by the new look to getting used to it. The developers expect players to experience the same emotions: initially being surprised by familiar characters and locations, and then appreciating how well the chosen style fits the game.
It all comes down to finding the most suitable solution, and sometimes that journey turns out to be long.
The remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is out now on Nintendo Switch 2.